Festive Purim in Russia’s Capital

While the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Rabbi Berl Lazar was fulfilling his duty at the Kremlin, listening to the State of the Nation speech made by President Vladimir Putin, Purim was happening in Moscow.

Dozens of shluchim and hundreds of students from Moscow’s Jewish schools were running around to Medical facilities, prisons, orphanages, house visits and any other place where they can help more Jews fulfill the mitzvos of Purim.

There were minyanim and megilla readings around the clock on both Purim night and Purim day at the central Marina Roscha Shul. Two large scale events took place there as well with the Chassidic singer Reb Dovid Taub and Reb Avraham Leib Burshtein of the “Kretchme Klezmer” from Yerushalaim who kept the crowds dancing for hours both at night and during the day.

There were also Megilla readings in about forty additional Chabad Houses throughout Moscow, with all of the mitzvos of Purim being fulfilled, and Tefilin being put on by many Jews.

At the Shaarey Tzedek Chesed Center in the Marina Roscha neighborhood, hundreds of elderly, lonely and frail people participated in a special concert, received and gave shalach manos, and partook in a royal feast free of charge.

Large food packages were distributed by the “Lev laYeladim” fund to hundreds of families. Matanos Laevyonim was done behidur “bo bayom”, with the Gabbais of Keren Chaya Mushka Gmach distributing chicken, meat, fish and wine to many needy families on the same day.

Photos: Levi Nazarov